Miller Worley Center for the Environment Podcast: Recent Episodes
Miller Worley Center
The Miller Worley Center aims to foster a more nuanced understanding of the complex environmental crises facing us and our planet as well as an increased awareness of the political, economic and social factors influencing them. On this show, we’ll explore issues ranging from sustainability to environmental justice, cover what Mount Holyoke College is doing to address our environmental impact, and highlight interesting people, events, opportunities, and resources that are relevant to our work and mission.
In this episode, Emily Berg (Community Sustainability Coordinator), and Noelle Gonzales-Jackson (Community Sustainability Assistant), sit down with Arielle V. King, host of The Joy Report podcast and MHC's 2026 Earth Week speaker, to discuss all things podcasting, and Arielle's experiences with climate communication in the current media landscape.
Episode references/Learn more:
- Listen to The Joy Report, hosted by Arielle V. King https://intersectionalenvironmentalist.com/the-joy-report-podcast (referenced "Live at NYC Climate Week: Seaweed Solutions")
- Follow Arielle on Instagram and TikTok @ariellevking
- Check out Intersectional Environmentalist https://intersectionalenvironmentalist.com/ (@intersectionalenvironmentalist)
- Link to The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin https://nkjemisin.com/series/the-broken-earth/
- Link to Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (Mount Holyoke 2025 Common Read) https://www.mtholyoke.edu/news/news-stories/parable-sower-2025-common-read
- Link to Dawn by Octavia Butler https://www.octaviabutler.com/xenogenesis-series
— Visit our website: mtholyoke.edu/mwce Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/sustainablemhc Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/MWCEMtHolyoke
Emily Berg and Edith Townsend-Cardosi, Community Sustainability Coordinators, talk with Dr. Kinuyo Kanamaru, Visiting Assistant Professor in the Geology & Geography Department, all about dendrochronology and studying tree "cookies" with students to learn about local natural histories and preserving the legacy of Mount Holyoke's Copper Beech tree in the face of climate change.
[Episode References/Learn More]:
▻ Check out the "Dendrochronology" display by Gita Yingling '26, located on the 3rd floor of the Clapp Laboratory
▻ Link to the Arts and Research Exhibition (referred to in episode as "Climate Justice Symposium"): https://events.mtholyoke.edu/event/art-and-research-exhibition-2026
— Visit our website: https://www.mtholyoke.edu/mwce Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sustainablemhc Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MillerWorleyCtr Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MWCEMtHolyoke
Zoey Pickett, Community Sustainability Coordinator, discusses the new book A Latine Outdoor Experience with the author, Dr. Olivia Aguilar, Professor of Environmental Studies and Director of the Miller Worley Center for the Environment.
Episode References/Learn More: ▻Link to Olivia's book A Latine Outdoor Experience: www.tamupress.com/book/9781648433511/a-latine-outdoor-experience/ ▻ Link to Lauret Savoy's book Trace: www.lauretsavoy.com/books/trace/
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Meena Relyea-Strawn, Community Sustainability Coordinator, and Mary Allison "MAK" Kane, Miller Worley Center for the Environment Assistant Director, talk about the importance Environmental education to empower youth, teach changemaking, and expand the field to be more equitable and accessible, with Katie Koerton, Education Director of the Hitchcock Center for the Environment.
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Learn more about the Hitchcock Center: hitchcockcenter.org
Visit our website: mtholyoke.edu/mwce
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Zoey Pickett, Community Sustainability Coordinator, and Olivia Aguilar, Miller Worley Center for the Environment Director, discuss the importance of climate action in an election year with Molly Keehn, author and lecturer of intergroup dialogue about climate action. Episode References/Learn More: Cojourn website" www.cojourn.org — Visit our website: https://www.mtholyoke.edu/mwce Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sustainablemhc Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MillerWorleyCtr Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MWCEMtHolyoke
Join Mancini and Sarah Purvis, Community Sustainability Coordinators, as they dive into the transformative Geothermal project aimed at fostering sustainability and achieving carbon neutrality on campus. Gain valuable insights from Miller Worley's Sustainability Project Manager and Karla Youngblood, the Associate Vice President for Facilities Management. Don't miss out on this enlightening discussion, available exclusively on the Mount Holyoke Geothermal Project page.
- In this episode, our Community Sustainability Coordinators of 2023-2024, Zoey Pickett and Eli Mancini are discussing the recent history of the Miller Worley Center with Tim Farnham, a former director of the Miller Worley Center For The Environment during 2009-2016 and current professor in Environmental Studies at Mount Holyoke College. We invite you to listen to the evolution of what our Center for Environment was back then and how it has transformed into a space centering conversations around sustainability, the natural environment, and Environmental Justice. This podcast episode was produced in November of 2023.
In this episode, Community sustainability coordinators, Alejandra German and Sarah Purvis, introduce Angelica Patterson, Curator of Education and Research. Patterson will give an overview of her journey to Mount Holyoke, her role and goals for this semester.
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In this episode, learn more about Mount Holyoke College’s past, current, and future investments. As MHC’s goal is to be Carbon Neutral by 2037 there are green infrastructure developments that the College is investing in and plans being solidified around divestment of fossil fuels. We are excited to bring on our guest, Ana Yankova, who is Mount Holyoke's inaugural chief investment officer as of April 2020, where she oversees the College’s endowment.
Learn More:
Mount Holyoke Alumnae Quarterly - Winter 2021 - Investing in the Future
Mount Holyoke Climate Justice Coalition
Financial Services: Endowment 101
Climate action commitments | Mount Holyoke College
—Visit our website: https://www.mtholyoke.edu/mwce Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sustainablemhc Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MillerWorleyCtr Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MWCEMtHolyoke
In this episode, learn more about the ongoing waterways project at Mount Holyoke College.Our host Sarah Purvis talks to guests Jenica Allen, Kate Ballantine, and Adrianne Wu about their experiences with the campus waterways.
Learn More:
▻ Dams and Dredging: An Overview of Mount Holyoke College's Lake History by Mia Sigler
https://ida.mtholyoke.edu/handle/10166/4673
▻ Mount Holyoke College Campus Map https://map.mtholyoke.edu
▻ Campus Living Laboratory at Mount Holyoke College https://www.mtholyoke.edu/mwce/campus
▻ Project Stream at Mount Holyoke College https://www.mtholyoke.edu/restoration-ecology/project-stream
▻ PLACE Alliance https://placealliance.com
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Returning Community & Sustainability Coordinators Adrianne and Hareem get to know some of the newest additions to the Miller Worley Center for the Environment staff: Alejandra German Chavarin, Rhitom Mishra, Sarah Purvis, and Meredith Becher!
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In this episode Jordan Lassonde, the Assistant Director of the Miller Worley Center for the Environment and Adrienne Baxter, one of the MWCE’s Community and Sustainability Coordinators, talk with Rich Perna, the Executive Director of Auxiliary Services at Mount Holyoke College.
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In this episode, Olivia Aguilar, Director of the Miller Worley Center for the Environment at Mount Holyoke College talks with the rest of the MWCE staff. Olivia introduces Jenica Allen, Raghu Raghavan, and Jordan Lassonde. The staff give a brief overview of their roles with the MWCE and share what they are excited for this semester.
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Join us for a conversation between Dr. Olivia M. Aguilar, Leslie and Sarah Miller Director of the Miller Worley Center for the Environment and Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and Dr. Aaron Miller, Associate Curator of Visual and Material Culture and NAGPRA Coordinator at the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum.
Aguilar and Miller discuss Mount Holyoke College’s physical context within the Native landscape of the Connecticut Valley as well as the repatriation of ancestral remains and how this may impact land acknowledgements on campus. (Originally recorded as a conversation with a live audience)
Co-hosted by the MHC Art Museum.
Episode References:
▻ MHC Art Museum https://artmuseum.mtholyoke.edu/profile/aaron-miller
▻ Campus Living Lab https://www.mtholyoke.edu/mwce/campus
▻ NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act)
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nagpra/index.htm
▻ Mount Holyoke Fire
https://artmuseum.mtholyoke.edu/exhibition/mount-holyoke-afire
▻ Five Colleges NAIS (Native American and Indigenous Studies) Program:
https://www.fivecolleges.edu/natam
▻Five Colleges NAIS new hires https://www.mtholyoke.edu/media/2021-feb/five-colleges-hires-nais-initiative-staff
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Olivia Aguilar, Director of the Miller Worley Center for the Environment at Mount Holyoke College, talks with Community and Sustainability Coordinators (CSCs) Adrienne Baxter and Adrianne Wu, as well as Campus Living Lab Assistant (CLLA) Genesis Lara Granados.
The CSCs and the CLLA trace their unique paths to environmental work and discuss the necessity of inclusivity in the movement. They share what skills they’ve developed while working at the Center and offer tips for getting research and internship experiences.
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In this episode, Olivia Aguilar, Director of The Miller Worley Center for the Environment at the Miller Worley Center at Mount Holyoke College, talks with Community and Sustainability Coordinators (CSCs) Sophia Hess, Hareem Khan, Julia Talamo, and Isabelle Wohlin.
Olivia and the CSCs discuss the team’s social media strategy, the challenges of creating posts like infographics, and follower growth. The Community and Sustainability Coordinators expand on their interest in the environment and share tips for getting relevant internships and work experiences.
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Welcome to the inaugural episode of The Miller Worley Center for the Environment Podcast! In this episode, Community & Sustainability Coordinators Hareem and Adrianne talk to Dr. Olivia Aguilar, the Leslie and Sarah Miller Director of the Miller Worley Center for the Environment and Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at Mount Holyoke College.
Olivia shares her path to her current position and her vision for the center, as well as why centering justice and building community are vital to environmental efforts. She discusses what she sees as the most pressing issues facing us in this time of rapid climate change and the global pandemic, in addition to what actions we can take.
Episode References:
▻ “Diversifying the Environmental Movement Isn’t Enough” by Olivia Aguilar
https://truthout.org/articles/diversifying-the-environmental-movement-isn-t-enough/
▻ “Are We Prepared for a Climate Crisis in the Middle of a Pandemic?” by Olivia Aguilar https://truthout.org/articles/are-we-prepared-for-a-climate-crisis-in-the-middle-of-a-pandemic
▻ “Environmental Groups’ Greatest Obstacle May Not Be Republican Opposition” by Zack Colman https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/02/05/environmental-movement-racial-reckoning-green-diversity-465501
▻ BOOM! Building On Our Momentum: Community Day https://www.mtholyoke.edu/diversity/boom
▻ Campus Living Laboratory https://www.mtholyoke.edu/mwce/campus
▻ Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel https://bookshop.org/books/station-eleven-9781594138829/9780804172448
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